Top-10 football showdown set for Saturday
The No. 3-ranked St. Thomas football team (7-0 overall, 5-0 MIAC) scored a 49-0 Homecoming win over Hamline and now has recorded back-to-back football shutouts for the first time since 1981. Junior LB Kyle Mulrooney’s 67-yard interception return for a touchdown was the 18th return touchdown of UST’s four-year Glenn Caruso era (eight interceptions, two blocked punts, four kickoff returns, four punt returns). The Toms have won their last 14 games when they score a return TD. They will put a 21-game regular-season win streak and a 16-game MIAC victory string on the line Saturday when they play at No. 10-ranked Bethel. The Royals ranked 10th nationally in rushing at 291 yards a game, while UST is second in the nation against the run at 44.7 yards allowed per game.

Bethel’s football team staved off a fourth quarter comeback attempt by Gustavus to stay among the top teams in the MIAC. Bethel is currently ranked #15 in the AFCA coaches poll and #10 in the D3football.com poll heading into play against #3 St. Thomas this Saturday. For his part in the Royals’ 41-27 victory on Saturday, Brandon Marquardt (Fr., Champlin, Minn.) was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week. He is currently second among MIAC rushers, averaging just under 100 yards per game. Meanwhile, quarterback Josh Aakre (Sr., Dawson, Minn.) continues to have a strong season as well. He was 12-for-14 passing with three TDs on Saturday, raising his passing efficiency to 175.4, which is tops among MIAC quarterbacks.

Tommies and Royals rolling in volleyball, too
The No. 11-ranked Tommie volleyball team (24-3) went 5-0 last week to run its winning streak to 11 and remain in a tie for the conference lead. Coach Thanh Pham’s Tommies need one victory to reach 25 wins for the seventh consecutive season. St. Thomas needed a comeback to post a five-game victory at St. Olaf, then went 12-0 in games for a 4-0 run through the Simpson (Iowa) Invite. UST will put a 13-match home-court win streak on the line Friday night when it faces St. Mary’s, then plays Saturday at Augsburg. In her first year as a starter, setter Ashley Maher (SR-Hutchinson) moved into the national lead in assists per set and has surpassed 1,000 on the season.

However, the Royals have been nearly as hot. Bethel’s volleyball team went 3-0 against NCAA teams at last weekend’s Stinger Classic hosted by UW-Superior. The Royals have now won eight matches in a row and 11 of their last 13 heading into competition with St. Catherine and Macalester this weekend. Hitter Nicole Wriedt (Sr., Pewaukee, Wis.) and libero Valerie Smith (Jr., Alexandria, Minn.) were named to the All-Tournament team for their offensive and defensive contributions, respectively. Wriedt surpassed the career 1,000 kills mark last Wednesday when she had 23 against Saint Mary’s, helping lift the Royals to a 3-2 victory over the hosting Cardinals. Bethel remains in a four-way tie atop the MIAC.

Carleton men keep cruising
The Carleton men’s soccer team is undefeated over its last nine matches (8-0-1) and has victories in its last six matches, during which the Knights have posted a 22-3 goal differential… The Carleton women’s soccer program has won four straight conference contests, moving the Knights from eighth to third in the MIAC standings… The football team faces Macalester on Saturday as the two highest-ranked academic institutions in Minnesota (according to US News & World Report) will battle for the “Book of Knowledge” for the 14th time. Carleton has won the last eight meetings by a combined 320-91 margin.

Unusual meeting for Johnnies and Gusties
Saint John’s travels to face Gustavus Adolphus for a 1 p.m. kickoff this Saturday, Oct. 22, in St. Peter. The last time the Johnnies and Gusties met, and both teams had losing records, was Nov. 8, 1924. SJU entered the contest with a 1-3-1 record, while the Gusties were 0-4-1. GAC won the game 33-0 in St. Peter. Both teams also carried losing records into their meeting the previous year, which resulted in a 14-12 SJU win on Nov. 10, 1923, in Collegeville. The last time the Johnnies brought a losing record into their meeting with Gustavus was 1983.

The Concordia College Athletic Department inducted five former athletes, a former longtime coach and an award-winning broadcaster into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday during the annual Homecoming celebration.

This year’s honorees included football All-Americans David Rosengren ’82 and Jim Southwick ‘88, Track and Field All-American Christine Fredrick ‘91, three-time All-American women’s golfer Lisa (Hanson) Sekely ’94, All-Region volleyball player Laura (Reitmeier) Pearson ‘99 as well as longtime Concordia hockey, football and baseball coach Al Rice and Cobber football and basketball radio broadcaster Larry Knutson.

Macalester College will induct four new members and a national championship team into its M Club Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 22. The 1998 NCAA Division III women’s soccer championship team, the first and only Macalester NCAA championship team, will become the third team in the M Club Hall of Fame. Four individuals will be inducted: Jennifer Hodges ’00 (volleyball / track & field), Ron Groce ’76 (football / track & field), Jim Kersting ’70 (diving) and Bob MacGregor ’54 (wrestling / football / track & field).